Hippodrome aerial railway



(No Model.)

J. B. GERBER. HIPPGDROMB AERIAL RAILWAY.

Patented Oct. 13, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN BAPTISTE GERBER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

HIPPODROME AERIAL RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,102, dated October 13, 1891.

Application filed July 1, 1891. Serial No. 398,144. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.

Be itkuown that I, JEAN BAPTISTE GERBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hippodrome Aerial Railways; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to a hippodrome aerial railway or pleasure-railway; and it has for its object to provide a railway which will be elevated and from which cars will be suspended, with a motive power whereby the cars may be propelled for any distance, either in a circular or straight course.

The invention will be fully understood from the following description ,and claim, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which* Figure l is a perspective view of my irnproved railway, showing the same as of circular form, with the operators car or motive car in position. Fig. 2 is a side View of a portion of the roof of the frame, showing the car suspended in an enlarged view; and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the track or way,- illustrating the car and means for propelling the same.

In carrying out my invention I provide a frame, which may be of a circular form or straight, having a roof a, and mount the same at a sufficient altitude upon columns b so as to firmly brace and secure said frame in position. This frame is provided with parallel guideways c, above which is a roof or shelter a, and Within which guideways sustaining and driving rollers d are arranged. These rollers d, which are arranged one at each end of the shafts e, are fixed thereto, and the guideways have longitudinal slots f on their inner sides for the passage of said shafts. A indicates a car, which is designed to carry the operator and motive power when such is to be used. This car is suspended from the shafts e, and consequently the ways or tracks c, by means of hangers g. In the present illustration I have shown four hangers for suspending the car, being two on each side, and consequently two shafts carrying rollers at opposite ends, although more or less may be employed, as desired.

Rising from the forward end of the car are two uprights h, which are connected at their upper ends by means of a shaft z', and this shaft carries at 'opposite ends rollers k, which also travel in the ways c of the tracks or supports. Fixed to this shaft e' is a vertically disposed pinion Z, which is engaged by a cogwheel nl, journaled in the upright 7L on a shaft fn, which has fixed to opposite ends levers p, carrying grips or handles q.- These handles are designed to come within a convenient reach of an attendant or operator, so that they may be turned thereby when handpower is employed, or they may be connected by mechanism operated by electricity, compressed air, or other suitable motive force.

The car may have a step 0', and in operation the first passenger-car may be connected with the motor-car at a less altitude and the next succeeding car at a still less altitude, and so on until the last car has been brought to analtitude where access may be conveniently had to it from a platform or the like.

It is obvious that the cars may be driven bycable, although for light use hand-power will be suiiicient.

lVith a railway of this construction there is no liability to accident, as the cars will be prevented from lateral displacement by means of the hangers and the guide-flanges s of the ways.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, y

In a hippodrome aerial railway, the co1n bination, with the frame supported on columns and having the ways c, of the car provided with hangers, the rollers on the upper ends of the hangers and arranged in said Ways, the uprights rising from one end of the ear, the shaftjournziled in the upper ends of said uprights, the pinion fixed to the shaft between the uprights, the gear-Wheel engag- I ing said pinion and also journaied in the uprights, and means for rotating the gear-Wheel, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix mysgnatu re in presence of two Witnesses.

JEAN BAPTISTE GERBER.

I/Vitnesses:

LEE D. CRAIG, LULU HAYDEN. 

